Crimson Empire had a lot of potential but Dark Horse failed to exploit it to the max. The idea of an Imperial Super-Hero that remains Imperial no matter what is very interesting, that this character was a member of the elite Imperial Guard is even more so, but beyond that, the story was hollow, the characters were not explored in depth and the art was not among the best for Star Wars Comics. Cover Art is Amazing (in this TPB you get a Cover Art Gallery for all 6 issues at the end of the book). Yes, the online issue #0 was adapted and included in this book, not at the very beginningm but a few pages into the story.

I am a huge fan of Star Wars, and have read almost everything written about it, but I am still capable of being disgusted by bad stories. Although the sequel leaves something to be desired, this comic blows all the others away. It is the tale of the last of the Emperor's Royal Guards, and why they were the most feared warriors in galaxy in their day. Kir Kanos is a great anti-hero, and the other characters manage to break the cliches set by other star wars works. No idealistic rebels here! The art is great, with wonderful martial arts action (why couldn't they get this team to draw Episode I?), and the frames are put together in a way to give the work an edgy, artistic feel. Definately get it!

Wow. This is truly an original piece of work. With the exception of "Tales of the Jedi" series(s), this is my favorite Star Wars graphic novel. The story itself is told so skillfully, engrossing you in a world filled with characters, that you forget that they were not in the Star Wars movies (with the exception of Wedge.) The art is the best of ANY SW comic, including the drab and dull Dark Empire. It is a shame that the sequel did live up to this piece of work.

To be honest, I was expecting a lot more from Berklee, and my expectations were probably unreasonable. I was expecting a more in-depth study of music theory and chord progressions, when what you end up with is a smattering of useful chords and simple lines to echo. The book is great for musicians that want to pick up a little keyboard on the side of their main instruments. However, for quasi-classically trained (Suzuki) pianists, the book is only an unneccessary reference (nice to have, but not essential). I'm planning on looking into the three-volume modern method from Berklee to see if it's more satisfactory (I'm betting that it will be).

This was a deeply informative study with interesting insights.

Having utilized Mary Alice Statkiewicz-Sherer's excellent text Radiation Protection in Medical Radiography through all three of her excellent editions I feel that I can well recommend this as not only a course level text book but an excellent review. The authors do not stand on the historic scare tactics of many others and yet cover this extensive topic with clarity and objectivity. My students have done well with this book as a text and study guide for the Radiation Protection section of the American Registry of Radiologic Technologists, Radiographer examination. I find this is one of the only texts to cover the topic of radiation hormesis with truth and clarity that bespeaks the findings of the extensive double longitudinal study on radiographers performed by the University of Minnesota. With full knowledge as an educator of some 36 years I find this inexpensive paperback version excellent for student afordability.

There's a great, seminal novel in here somewhere, but it's smothered by the self-consciously (and unconvincingly) naive narrative voice and the uninspired characterization and suspenseless structure of the book. Boys of Life is a teenager's fantasia on the far-off world of arty decadence personified by Warhol, Pasolini and Fassbinder and, as such, holds enormous interest. But it fails as a novel: when it tries to be debauched, it's gross; when it tries to be mystical, it's contrived. Boys of Life is a nice effort, and held my attention, but in the final analysis it's simply a painful and too-common thing: a trivial work that could have been great.

another sensational, provoking novel by Mr.Paul Russel. As usual, I have been enthralled by the beautiful style and the lyrical prose. I have cried while reading the book for the many resonances with my own life: the love denied, the emptiness of married life, the sadness of a gay man deeply in love living a one-sided relationship. What is redemption for Tony Blair? Getting married to a nice girl and go against his own homosexual nature. Isn't going against your nature a violence? His relationship with Carlos is a violent one, all the world surrounding Carlos is made of violence and Tony is trying to save himself, but what is he going to find once he is out of it all? An incredible tragical quest for identity and for love. A disturbing novel that tries to demonstrate with success that sex, unfortunately, is not always an act of love, but can sometimes be the quintessence of violence.

I have no qualms about saying that this is one of the most moving and convincing narratives I have ever read. I've read it about a dozen times in the past eight years, and every time I am further astonished at how believable the narrator's voice is. This novel is the story of an extraordinary life -- the narrator, a teenage boy, is seduced by an older man, and ends up leaving his sheltered existence in Kentucky to live in a bizarre combination of fame and squalor in New York City -- but the characters (outrageous and eccentric as most of them are)are portrayed with such love and humanity that it is next to impossible to believe that they are works of fiction. Not that it's exactly a happy book -- in fact it's pretty terrifying -- but I defy any reader to come away from it unmoved. I can't recommend it strongly enough!

The Salt Point, an earlier work by Paul Russell, pales in comparison to his much stronger, more mature effort in The Coming Storm. Both books explore similar topics, including powerfully addictive but unwise relationships and how the choices we make affect those around us. But in The Salt Point, the narrative over-indulges in contemplating the characters rather than simply presenting them and letting the reader draw conclusions. Three of the main characters engage in the kind of endless introspection that would make them insufferable were they real people. Ironically, the character Leigh felt the most real to me, even though he is the story's central enigma.

In short, readers new to Russell should skip this one and head directly for The Coming Storm.

In this book, Paul Russell paints the picture of three friends whose quaint relationship comes to a crashing hault with the arrival of the mysterious Leigh. Different parts of the story are seen through the eyes of different characters. Russell gives much information about the three friends. Anatole, Chris, and Lydia represent a generation that has lost hope. Leigh is a seemingly carefree attractive youth. However, the only glimpse the reader gets of Leigh's character comes from a few of Leigh's dreams. Some argue that Leigh is superficial, but I would argue that Russell intentionally underdeveloped Leigh's character because he wanted to emphasize the older frienship and the fact that Leigh is an outsider. The few pieces of background information the reader gains about Leigh suggest he too has had a rough life. Paul Russell is a great author. With the exception of Sea of Tranquility, his novels are very well-written character studies. His descriptions are beautiful. He is a masterful writer, and this book is one of his best. Do yourself a favor and read this book.

The Salt Point is a wonderful story surrounding the lives of three friends: Lydia, Chris, and Anatole. Throughout the book, the pasts of each is revealed and you learn more about why they act the way they do. Their lives are stagnant and complicated, but satisfying, until Leigh enters the picture. Leigh is a teenager who capitivates the three freinds with his beauty and charm. He likes for everyone to think he's a mystery, in order to keep their attention. Leigh disrupts their lives completely and destroys their misguided happiness. What some people might find too soap operish about the relationships between the four characters, I thought was the greatest strength of Russell as an author because he is able to pull you into the lives of these individuals, as if they are real people, and feel sorrow or anger towards them. How you can just feel your heart ache when you witness how strong Anatole's love for Leigh is that he would suffer so much. When I reached the end of the book, I was disappointed that there wasn't more. I didn't want to leave their world. That is the sign of a great writer.

To flesh out what one previous reviewer hinted at, this book attempts what several philanthropic organizations are paying good money for: To meld religion (Faith/Un-reason) and Science (Reason / Unbelief). It is a mildly interesting read, yet Stannard ends up doing a dis-service to both particle/ Astro-physics, and Christian Apologetics. There is a sound thinking behind epistmilogically seperating physics and meta-physics: one is academic, one is artistic. The last culture to wed them with success was the Greek, and we are long past Athenian philosophical treatises on objectivity and subjectivity. Try reading Stephen Hawking, and Debates between Dan Barker and William Craig on The Secular Web. At least it was short, though.

I first got acquainted with Stannard's work when he appeared on a popular BBC program as part of a panel of distinguished scientists. The panel was assembled to comment on the problem of creationism in American public schools. When Stannard spoke I was intrigued to hear of an experiment that an organisation he was associated with was conducting: "The God Experiment".

When I saw a copy of the book with the same name at a local book store, I bought it immediately. I had hoped that it described in detail the results of the "prayer" experiment that was out to "prove" (or disprove) God's Existence. Unfortunately mention of the actual experiment, conducted with the assistance of hundreds of patients about to undergo heart surgery, was quite brief and had not been completed at the time of publication. Instead, Stannard proclaims that the actual investigation into the existence of God requires multiple sources of evidence in addition to the actual empirical "prayer" experiment.

Stannard commences by examining whether miracles can indeed occur. After a long discussion, he ultimately confesses that it is up to the individual to make up their mind. He then proceeds to dicuss the views of two psychologists regarding religion. He sides with the theistic psychologist and attempts to discredit the logic of the non-theistic one by employing some very simple, unconvincing arguments. His discussion on why suffering exists in the world is quite amusing. He turns the tables on the reader by proclaiming that in some instances evil and suffering are "necessary" and "good". In the light of this proclamation, he continues to say that it is plausible that God can exist in a world full of suffering. However, once again he concludes by falling back on his favourite expression: "It's a mystery".

In later chapters Stannard discuss such topics as biological evolution and the big bang theory. He argues that at the fundamental level these scientific theories require the existence of God. Although I didn't agree with some of his conclusions, I was fascinated by his theories regarding God, time and Quantum mechanics.

Stannard's book was an enjoyable read. He is a physicist that knows his material and may convince some readers of God's existence on a scientific level. However, his theological apologetics are very weak. Stannard should stick to particle physics.

Russell Stannard is a scientist with the heart, mind, and soul of a theologian/minister and seeks to explore the compatibility of science and religious beliefs. He presents science that the intelligent layperson can understand, including quantum physics and relativity. In presenting evidence for the Big Bang and evolution, he goes beyond the intelligent design theories I have heard before, to include new ways of understanding God's role. He gives wonderful scientific/theological views on miracles, evil and suffering, the resurrection, how the world began, the physical laws of our world and how God relates to them. His exploration of the dimension of time that we live in, but that God is beyond, is wonderfully enlightening and mentally challenging. The analogies he presents when discussing complex issues of science or of God's relationship to us are wonderful new ways of understanding age-old questions.

I highly recommend this book for those seekers or scholars who are trying to comprehend how our concept of God fits with today's scientific knowledge of the world and our place in it.

A wonderfully written and presented book with all the glorious photos one would expect from a book describing the Cup. The history, while put forth in a concise and informative manner, comes to dominate the book. The book ends with a quick sketch of the chalangers and then abruptly ends. It fails to cover either the Louis Vinton or Americas Cup. Why a book on the challangers that doesnt document the challenge?

Russell Coutts is New Zealand's greatest living yatchsman however not a great author but he really does try to bring out his passion for his love of match racing.

As with his demenor in life, he is a little too humble in his writings but using the America's Cup history he and fellow author, Paul Larsen manage to produce a good coffee table book that is easy to read and leads you right up to the beginning of Challengers series that was a much better spectical than the next event three years later.

All the participants are mentioned and technical talk and actions well explained.

I felt that this book should have been released after the Americas Cup 2000 proper so the end results could have been added. Team New Zealand's only successful defence would have rounded out this book nicely. Of course Russell Coutts was at the healm of Black Magic at the time and we now know what happened three years later.

This book provided very interesting insights on the world of igneous petrology. It did lack one thing though, that is, it lacked a plot. I also found the development of the main characters, the kimberlite pipe that is, a little weak. I would not recommend this as easy reading....at all.